SACRAMENTO  Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed a package of measures aimed at helping veterans, from taking a step toward providing more affordable rental housing to college tuition tax breaks to offering admission deals to state parks on certain days.

“After veterans serve our country, it’s our duty to serve them,” Brown said in a statement after signing the measures in a morning ceremony at Veterans Village in San Diego.

However, later the governor revealed he had vetoed two measures related to veterans.

The most far reaching bill signed by Brown will ask voters in June to allow the state to use $600 million in preapproved bond money to provide rental housing and related services for veterans instead of restricting the funds to loans for buying single-family homes and farms.

A ballot measure is needed to redirect a share of the money because voters had originally approved the bonds. The California Department of Veterans Affairs would still have about $530 million for traditional home buying assistance programs.

“This is California’s opportunity to lead the nation and demonstrate what other states can do to provide housing to homeless vets and their families,” said Assemblyman John Pérez, D-Los Angeles, who carried Assembly Bill 639 to put the issue before voters.

Brown and Pérez noted that the state’s existing bond authority for veterans’ housing has ballooned because of a lack of demand, yet thousands of other former members of the military are homeless or struggling to pay the rent. The money would be used to mostly work with nonprofit housing agencies.

Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, a co-author, said: “No one should return home from serving our country in uniform only to end up sleeping on the streets. Yet, 20 percent of San Diego’s homeless population is veterans. This bill will help veterans successfully transition back into civilian life and to live with the dignity that we owe them for their sacrifices on behalf of us all.”

Other measures signed into law include:

• Senate Bill 272 carried by Sen. Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, exempts veterans from paying out-of-state-tuition for one year as long as they had been residents previously.

• AB 150 by Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, R-Modesto, allows state parks to provide free or reduced passes to those on active duty and veterans on Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day.

• AB 151 carried by Olsen clarifies that local governments can provide reduced cost benefits to veterans, such as waiving building fees.

• AB 143 by Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, exempts active duty military from paying sales tax on items purchased out of state and before their report date in California.

• AB 244 carried by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to sponsor a special license plate to help fund programs for veterans.

Brown vetoed:

• AB 704 by former Assemblyman Robert Blumenfield, D-Los Angeles, would have required the Emergency Medical Services Authority to adopt regulations so military experience would count toward certifications as an emergency medical technician and paramedic. Brown said in his veto message that he will direct the authority to do it administratively to avoid the burden of adopting formal regulations. (Blumenfield was elected to the Los Angeles City Council).

• SB 723 by Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, would have required the state to issue a report on what others states are doing to ensure that military experience and education counts toward license requirements. Instead, Brown directed all of the licensing and professional boards to conduct reviews “to make sure military experience is counted where appropriate.”